The Last Sunbreaker
by Glamdring804
Summary: The Sunbreakers brought honor to the wild, never seeking the safety of the City. And now they're gone, among the many casualties claimed by the Red War. Looking for answers, Linvana seeks out their last known location.


The sun beat down on the sweeping field of sand. Across the dunes, the wind danced like a sculptor, wearing down a granular slope here and rebuilding it there. The whispering of the breeze through the grains was the only sound in the vast, empty landscape.

In the distance, the seemingly endless plain was broken by a low escarpment, one side steep and jagged, the other shallow and sloping. The gently curved ridgeline was the remains of an impact long ago, before the Traveler brought life to the planet, and the Vex stripped it away, and the Almighty sundered its surface.

A cluster of stone and metal blocks crowned the highest part of the ridge. They glinted in the brilliant sunlight, too far off to distinguish any details. The structure was the only sign of the Vex's presence in the area, though many of their spires and floating arrays were visible on the horizons.

"Why have you come here?" Brother Vance asked on the radio. "You've known about them for months."

Linvana paused. The wind continued to sweep around her, pulling at the tassels of her mark and scattering sand off her slate gray armor. The stationary sun burned behind her, its image bloated and warped by the Vex's inscrutable machines. This moment, his place…it felt stuck, frozen unchanging in time amidst a churning sea.

"I have to see for myself," Linvana found herself saying. "I have to see them with my own eyes."

She started walking again, her eyes set on the distant structure. Traveling on Mercury was many things at once. Surreal. Disconcerting. Transcendent. Terrifying. Here on this blasted rock, the machines had warped the topology of space-time itself, twisting and knotting the fabric of reality just below the surface.

Which was nice and all, but it made radio communication a pain in the ass. Establishing a sparrow link was impossible in most places. Hell, it was a small miracle her Ghost was even able to open a channel to the Lighthouse.

"What more could you hope to learn?" Vance asked as she trudged across the dunes. "They're gone. Yet you insist on disturbing their resting place. Let the past claim them."

"They must have meant a lot to you," Linvana said after a moment.

"And what makes you say that?"

"They protected you. Mercury is the Vex's domain, but it was also theirs. If they hadn't fought the Vex, then your cult would have been wiped out years ago. They saved your lives, didn't they?"

There was a long pause. "What you say is true," Vance reluctantly admitted, "They fought for us, guided us. I counted many of them among my personal friends. Some of them…some had even had the privilege of meeting Osiris in person. They were good people, better than me."

 _And you think they were better than me too_ , Linvana thought, noting the bitterness in his last sentence, _Which is probably true_.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. She was alone, trudging across the seemingly endless sand.

"Well they meant a lot to me too," she said eventually.

She was met with silence. Had Vance closed the channel?

"I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them," she continued, not caring if nobody was listening. "I never met them, not in person at least, but, when I came to them, I was lost and afraid. I feared my own future. They changed that. They gave me purpose and direction. Like a fire, steadily burning in my chest. I guess…you could say they saved _my_ life in a way. And for that, I owe them.

"I came to thank them, and because, deep down, a part of me still can't believe that they're gone. _I_ need to lay that to rest, so I can move on, so I can leave them in the past, and not be afraid anymore."

She kept walking. The whisper of the wind across the dunes was her only company. The structure atop the ridge slowly resolved into a low citadel of stone, metal, and glass. She lost track of time, which wasn't uncommon near Vex ruins. Had she been walking for a few minutes, or a few hours? Did it matter, as long as she was getting closer to her destination?

"I suppose you too deserve closure," Brother Vance said suddenly, "I beg your pardon Guardian. In my own self-pity, I forgot to whom I was speaking."

"It's alright Vance," Linvana replied, "I understand." They'd all lost something.

The structure was close now. The ridge loomed above her, cracked and weathered by eons of exposure. She began searching for a way up, and soon found a steep, narrow split in the rock face.

The temperature slackened immediately as she stepped into the shade of the fissure. Even though her fieldweave was climate controlled, the heat of the sun was oppressive.

She began climbing up the steep gully floor, scrambling with her hands and feet in some places. A short time later, she emerged back into the scorching sunlight.

The ridge was high enough to give a sweeping vantage of the surrounding landscape. The dunes stretched into the distance in one direction, while the other side was more gently sloped. The rock had been scoured of sand by the constant wind, and many Vex constructs were visible in the distance. Towards the sun, the horizon was broken and cracked, where unfathomably huge pieces of the surface had been ripped up by the Almighty's destructive force fields.

The structure was close now, less than half a kilometer away. Linvana started towards it, following the gentle curve of the ridge.

The fortress, if you could call it that, had no beginning or end. There were no walls or entrances. Pillars of stone and metal rose from the stony ground, growing taller towards the center, until they melded into a blocky knot of walkways, columns, and platforms.

A dark shape stained the ground between her and the structure. As she got closer, she realized it was the corpse of a Cabal, the armor blackened and burnt. There was another one a short ways away, trapped in a hollow in the ground. The body was twisted and contorted, caught in a glob of glass that filled the hollow.

Linvana smiled ruefully. The hollow must have been filled with sand, and it then melted underneath the unfortunate legionnaire. Even without the Light, the Sunbreakers had set the world ablaze.

She straightened and continued walking forward. There were more signs of battle strewn about the outskirts of the ruins. Cabal corpses at first, their armor blackened or shattered, exposed flesh withered by the relentless heat. Some of the stone pillars bore chips and cracks from impacts.

She found the first Sunbreaker sprawled behind a low wall connecting two pillars. His helmet was split open, shards of the visor embedded in his face. His flesh was desiccated like the Cabals', though a beard was still visible on his jaw. A rifle lay near his hand, and the remains of his Ghost were smashed into the ground beside him.

A pang of sorrow stabbed Linvana in the gut. The little Ghost must have stayed by their Guardian's side, desperately trying to resurrect him. It remained behind as the Cabal advanced, even though it knew it was hopeless without the Light.

She stood over the dead Sunbreaker for a moment, then continued further into the structure.

There were more bodies, both Sunbreaker and Cabal. The fighting had degenerated into brutal close quarters combat as the Cabal pushed into the ruins. One Sunbreaker was pinned to a wall by a Cabal cleaver. The owner of the sword lay decapitated at her feet.

The Cabal corpses outnumbered the Sunbreaker bodies, but it was clearly a losing battle for the Titan order. The Sunbreakers had been powerless, confused, and on the run. The Red Legion had superior numbers, equipment, and morale. The bodies began to thin out as she passed through the center of the ruins, as the Sunbreakers' numbers dwindled.

Which of the bodies was Ouros, the Sunbreakers' leader? Was Liu Feng, the legendary Sunbreaker that fought beside Shaxx at Twilight Gap among the dead? Linvana had never met the Sunbreakers. She'd only spoken to Ouros when she found their Forge, and never saw her face. They'd accepted her, gave her the flame of their order, without even knowing who she was.

Ouros had invited Linvana to join the Sunbreakers that day. To take up the Hammer was an oath, she'd said. An oath to never stop fighting. When the Red Legion arrived and it came time to fight, the Sunbreakers held their ground, while Linvana had fled the burning City. And now they were dead, and she wasn't.

Would _her_ body be lying in these ruins right now, armor cracked and flesh withered, if she'd accepted that offer?

The glinting light she'd seen on the approach came from numerous glass panels hung from the pillars and beams. The panels were a silvery gray color, and faint patterns were visible beneath the surface, where the sunlight struck them. She couldn't tell if the Sunbreakers had added them, or if they were part of the structure. If they were the latter, then they were disturbingly similar to the glass Vex monolith she'd explored six months ago. The thought dredged up yet more unpleasant memories.

She finally reached the far side of the ruins, perched on the edge of the ridge. The pillars were still taller than her head, and ended abruptly at the top of the cliff. Almost like the edge of the structure had been sheered away. But the ruins hadn't been built until a few centuries ago, billions of years after Mercury was scoured during its formation. Right?

Curtains were hung between the pillars to provide shade, and crates and beds and even table were tucked on the leeward side of the pillars. This looked like the living area of the ruins.

So this was where they spent their last few days. Linvana reached of and carefully slipped her helmet off. The hot air hit her with an almost physical force, but out of the direct sun, she wasn't in danger of burning. She knelt beside the table, which held only a simple mug and a few sheets of un-tooled carbon-bronze.

Why had the Sunbreakers come here? Scout reports claimed this site was merely an outpost, to which they fled after the main Forge fell. Linvana squinted, searching the distant, sun baked horizon for…something.

A whole order of Titans was gone, wiped from the face of the system. She never knew them, yet she felt their loss with a strange acuteness.

"Vance, are you still there?" she asked.

"Yes Titan, what do you wish?" he replied through her Ghost. She caught a weary tremble to his voice. He was tired, spent. She knew exactly what that felt like.

"Who were they?"

"You already know who they were," Vance replied, "They were an ancient order, from back in the Dark Age. They left the City because they decided the protection it offered would make them lax."

"No Vance," Linvana said, "I know _of_ them, but I don't _know_ them. Tell me. Please."

There was a long pause of silence. She began to think he was ignoring her.

"They were magnificent," he finally said, "Radiant and luminous. You could feel the power radiating from them even when they were standing still. They were founded in the Dark Age, so they were not hung up silly traditions and conventions, yet they were the noblest warriors I know. They encouraged their numbers to forge their own path against the Darkness. They each made their own armor, their own equipment. Its strength was a measure of its maker's prowess.

"They did not live in your City, but everything they did was to protect it. The walls only stand today because of the sacrifices they made and the monsters they vanquished. They lived out here, in the wilds, entirely self-sufficient. There was no task they could not accomplish when they set their wills to it. They…" Vance sighed. "They were Guardians. In the truest sense of the word. You are lucky to count yourself among them."

"Thank you," Linvana whispered when he finished. She felt a single tear slide down her cheek, quickly evaporating in the dry heat.

She tore herself away from the view and turned back to the living area. She slowly paced across it, trying to picture the lives of the warriors who had lived here.

A flash of light caught her eye as she passed a corner. She paused, peering into the recessed alcove. It was a short hallway with a sliver glass panel at the end. Several medallions hung from the walls, glinting in sunlight reflected from another glass panel.

Linvana stepped into the alcove. Was it some sort of shrine? She peered at the glass, trying to discern the unseen pattern underneath. There was a black outline of a handprint on the metal adjacent to the panel. Like it had been…burned on to the metal by a flaming palm.

She frowned, undoing the glove beneath her gauntlet. She spread bare fingers across the metal. The outline fit her hand almost exactly.

What was the purpose of this? Some kind of rite of passage for the Sunbreakers? She mentally tugged on her Solar source, and warmth filled her chest. Not searing, blistering heat like the sun outside, but inviting, comfortable warmth, like a crackling hearth. She took hold of that heat and pushed it down her arm.

Golden flames sprouted from her skin, though they didn't burn. Something inside the wall pulled at the fire, sucking it in. Curious, Linvana pushed her yellow Light into the metal.

A mechanism clicked in the wall. The glass panel evaporated with hissing sound and a spark of light.

Where the panel had been was now a recessed shelf. Most of it was filled with a stack of burnished golden plates covered with intricate etchings. Tucked beside the plates were a thick book with metal covers, and a large golden pistol. A sheet of paper rested on the pistol, and another on top of the metal plates.

Linvana took the paper from the plates and unfolded it. It was covered with sharp, level handwriting.

 _Child,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well, should it find you at all. I have faith in your ability to weather this storm and find this place. Perhaps you have even risen above it and claimed victory. I would expect nothing less from one who made the pilgrimage to the Forge._

 _If you're reading this, we are gone. We stood by the Forge for generations, but our time has come to an end. There is simply no other way. It is the path we set ourselves on, and I will embrace its conclusion with open arms._

 _The fire still burns within you child. Not by choice, but because you saw no other way. You are the last of us now, and I am very sorry to lay that burden upon your shoulders. The book contains our stories, the personal tales of each of our numbers. It is our legacy, and you are its keeper now._

 _Signed,_

 _Ouros, Third and Final Empyreal Magistrate of the Sunbreakers_

 _P.S. The set of plate is mine, the set I first forged for myself when I came to the Forge. I call it the Sunstone armor. It served me well, and I hope it will do the same for you._

Linvana lowered the letter and ran her fingers across the top plate of metal. It was made of carbon-bronze, a lustrous metal alloy that was denser and stronger than plasteel, but harder to tool and maintain in the field.

She set Ouros's letter down and unfolded the second one. This one was covered with hasty, looping scrawls.

 _Sister_ ,

 _Can I call you sister? We haven't met, yet I feel there is a connection between us. If you're reading this, then it's likely I'm gone, and you're the last. Shame. I would have liked to know you. I like to think we would have been friends._

 _It was a brave thing you did. Seeking us out, stepping into the Forge. I've seen many fail, but you succeeded. I was much like yourself once. Young and reckless. The fire changed me, burned away the uncertainty. It changed me, and it changed you. Though I am still quite reckless. Heh._

 _Ouros says we don't have much time, so I'd best get on with it._

 _It's called Sunshot, and I want you to have it. May it burn away your enemies, and shine like a new dawn against the night. It can be your light in the darkness, as you are the light that guides your people. If there's anything I've learned in this difficult life, it's this: You can't outrun the sunrise._

 _Remember us sister. There is no one else who will._

 _Your kindred soul,_

 _Liu Feng_

Linvana set the letter down and leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling week. She had never met these people, these legends, yet they had entrusted her with this. Why would they do this for her, leave gifts behind, and then have the audacity to get themselves killed?

She picked up the pistol. The grip was white and etched with lines and geometric shape. The barrel was long, golden and angular. Where the chamber should have been was an oblong sphere of metal covered with rivet-like studs.

There were stories of the Sunbreakers' creations, rare weapons and artifacts of impeccable craftsmanship, fashioned from a mix of scraps and Vex tech. And Liu Feng left one of them specifically for her, before she'd died.

What did they see in her? A warrior? An heir? An inexperienced fool who'd stumbled into their Forge, almost by accident? People called her a Sunbreaker because she could summon a fist of flames, but she was _not_ one of them. How could she possibly fulfill their legacy?

Why did everyone act like she was some hero? Like she was the magical solution to all their problems? How could she ever be what they wanted?

Linvana set the pistol down and took a deep breath. The world had changed. She didn't even know where the pieces had all fallen yet. But right now, they were fighting for their survival, every damn moment. If they slipped up once, people died. Like the hundreds of thousands of civilians that died in the attack. Like the countless Guardians with no Light to resurrect them.

Like the Sunbreakers.

"Polaris," Linvana said.

"Yes Guardian," her Ghost said, appearing by her side.

She undid the mark around her waist. "This armor," she said, pointing to the stack of carbon-bronze plates. "Put it on me?"

"Right now?" Polaris asked.

"Yes," Linvana insisted, "Just swap them out with a quick transmat."

"Okay…" he said, floating over to the shelf. The plates vanished in a flash, then he floated over to Linvana and bathed her in blue light. Her slate gray armor vanished, and the Sunstone armor appeared in its place a moment later, already fastened to her red and gray fieldweave underneath.

Linvana flexed her hand, examining the golden vambrace on her forearm. It was intricately etched with effigies of suns and hammers and shining warriors.

This armor did not belong to her. It belonged to a dead hero, who's legacy would be bigger than anything Linvana accomplished. Let it be a reminder then, of who she should strive to be.

She slipped the helmet on and breathed in relief as cool air started circulating against her face. The helm was of the classic Titan style, with a long, slivered visor. It flickered with old-fashion styled symbols as Polaris began feeding data into the HUD.

She re-belted her mark, the tassels hanging from her hip. The eclectic strips of cloth included a Golden Hour mark, a scarf, a clan banner, and beneath them all, a faded, frayed Sunbreaker's Mark.

She picked up the book, then sealed the shelf shut with a quick pulse of Solar Light. The bodies almost seemed to watch her as she walked back through the ruins. She didn't dare disturb them. They had already hallowed this place more than she ever could.

She would return to the City, and tell the people the story of the Sunbreakers. The ancient order of Titans would live on in their memories. And then, when she was done, she would add her own story to the book.

Linvana stepped out into the brilliant sunlight, pistol in one hand, book in the other.

It was time she stopped hiding from herself.

It was time she let herself be a hero.


End file.
